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| Ashley going Best of Breed at Warrenton Kennel Club |
Monday, October 10, 2011
Our overachiever, Miss Ashley
You've probably seen us post about Ashley before -- she is the serious overachiever of the family, owned and trained by the amazingly talented and driven Bobbie and Fred Lutz of Winchester, VA. Ashley has titles in conformation, obedience, rally, agility and lure coursing. She is a Champion of Versatility (given by the American Whippet Club in 2010) and we are SO proud of her achievements! Ashley is also known as GCH, UGRCH, UAGII, UR03, UCD, Timbreblue Windrydr Biker Girl, CD, RE, MC, FCH, NA, NAJ, NAP, NJP, CGC, TT, CAV (all of those letters are titles in various sports).
Sunday, October 9, 2011
New Champion Moka!
Our wee baby Bonnie (Blue & Chippy's baby from the Nautical Litter of 2010) grew up to be a beautiful butterfly! Moka aka Ch Timbreblue Abraxas Mocha Martini just finished her AKC championship on Sunday 10/09 -- a couple of months after her first birthday.
She finished with four 3pt majors, three of those from the puppy classes, and was ENTIRELY OWNER HANDLED by Rebecca Zaun. This is really unusual in whippets because they are so competitive and there are so many extremely talented professional handlers. We are so proud of Moka and Beca and are looking forward to following their progress as they go for their Grand Championship.
She finished with four 3pt majors, three of those from the puppy classes, and was ENTIRELY OWNER HANDLED by Rebecca Zaun. This is really unusual in whippets because they are so competitive and there are so many extremely talented professional handlers. We are so proud of Moka and Beca and are looking forward to following their progress as they go for their Grand Championship.
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| Ch Timbreblue Abraxas Mocha Martini |
Friday, October 7, 2011
Young male adult whippet available
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One of our closest friends has a young boy (almost 3 years old) looking for a new home. His family had a change in circumstance and are unable to keep him, so they did the responsible thing and returned him to his breeder. Now we have the opportunity to help him find a wonderful new home.
He is neutered, brindle and white, 30 lbs, great with kids. He has a high prey drive so he would not be good in a household with cats or very small dogs. He is crate trained, a good car rider, up-to-date on all vaccines. He was raised as an only dog but has been socialized with other whippets so he would do well in a household with a doggy friend to keep him company. He is a happy and healthy young boy.
Please let us know if you are interested in adding this sweet boy to your family.
Litter plans and a new home for Daisy
Hi guys, it's been a little while since we have updated you on our litter plans. We are planning to breed Juliet & Blue, hoping for an early December litter. We also have tentative plans for breeding Rini either this winter or next spring. Both litters should give us blue puppies, but of course we can't guarantee any specific colors in any litter. Juliet and Rini both have waiting lists, but let us know if you are interested and we can talk about whether a puppy from one of our litters would be a good choice for your family. Visit our website to inquire.
If you're looking for a puppy or adult sooner, let us know and we'll be happy to help you find one. The whippet community is very close and we always know of breeders with puppies or adults available.
In really good news, Daisy is at home with her new family in Arlington and settling in really well. We are thrilled for her and her family. All of our Flower Child puppies are settled in with their new families and we even got to see a few of them at the recent Timbreblue Reunion in Harrisonburg, Virginia along with their sister who stayed at Timbreblue, Tiger Lily.
If you're looking for a puppy or adult sooner, let us know and we'll be happy to help you find one. The whippet community is very close and we always know of breeders with puppies or adults available.
In really good news, Daisy is at home with her new family in Arlington and settling in really well. We are thrilled for her and her family. All of our Flower Child puppies are settled in with their new families and we even got to see a few of them at the recent Timbreblue Reunion in Harrisonburg, Virginia along with their sister who stayed at Timbreblue, Tiger Lily.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Young puppy available
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Daisy is a female brindle whippet puppy from Chippy's latest litter, born June 4th. Her placement with her new family didn't work out (whippet puppies take a lot of supervision and one-on-one attention for the first few months) so she is available again. Daisy LOVES attention ... while the other dogs are playing and getting into trouble, Daisy wants lap time and cuddling.
We only place young puppies in homes where someone will be home all day for at least the first few months. Whippets are very social and they need lots of attention and socialization to grow into responsible adults. Please contact us if you are interested.
Pair of adult whippets available
NOTE 10/07/2011: Ilu and Levi have a home lined up and will be going for a trial visit soon. We hope for the best for these awesome sweet whippets. Thank you to all who inquired.
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Hi guys, a breeder friend of ours has two whippets available, she wants to keep them together in a new home. Here is what she said about them:
Due to a job and having to move across the country and not living in the proper accommodations for dogs, I have two wonderful Whippets available. If anyone knows of a home looking for two wonderful companions, I have a brother and sister pair available and I would very much like to keep them together if possible. Illu (boy) and Levi (girl) will be 5 years old in November, are spayed and neutered, up to date on everything, know basic obedience and even a few tricks (especially Levi), they are good with kids having lived with a baby/toddler.
Of course they are house broken, crate trained, leash trained, etc. I would really really like to keep these two together, they have been together their whole lives and I would hate to part them. No rush, they have been here for some time while their owners were figuring out if they would continue with the job out west or come back east and they are now staying on the other coast due to a job opportunity. Here is a picture of them together, playing outside :) Levi is on the right, Illu on the left. They love toys (Illu especially), treats and lots of love!
If you are interested, please contact me at inquiries@timbreblue.com for more info.
---
Hi guys, a breeder friend of ours has two whippets available, she wants to keep them together in a new home. Here is what she said about them:
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| Illu and Levi |
Of course they are house broken, crate trained, leash trained, etc. I would really really like to keep these two together, they have been together their whole lives and I would hate to part them. No rush, they have been here for some time while their owners were figuring out if they would continue with the job out west or come back east and they are now staying on the other coast due to a job opportunity. Here is a picture of them together, playing outside :) Levi is on the right, Illu on the left. They love toys (Illu especially), treats and lots of love!
If you are interested, please contact me at inquiries@timbreblue.com for more info.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Bunnies
We've been having a discussion on the Timbreblue email list about whippets and pet bunnies. (Bottom line: Not a good mix.)
Pre-whippet, we had a big white rabbit named Lisa.
Lisa was a male, but that didn't bother Jo, who gave him his name. She was about nine, and she chose names she liked regardless of gender limitations. We also had a big yellow tomcat named Mandy. Lisa ran around in the backyard with the pony and the collies with no problems (the pony did step on one bunny with tragic results, but that was Spuds. I think Lisa would have broken the pony's leg if she had stepped on him.) I can't believe I can remember all these names. There must have been a hundred of them during the kid-years in South Carolina, if you include the possum, the raccoon, the squirrels, etc. I was a wildlife rehabilitator so we often had various critters living with us for a few months. My efforts to rehab injured and orphaned wildlife would have been doomed if I'd tried it once we got the first whippet. I remember a fledgling blue jay...but nevermind that. The jay was the last of the wildlife and he just underscored that I needed to be very, very careful with whippets and prey...um, wildlife.
Back to Lisa, though. He was (mostly) housetrained and oh did he love biting electrical cords in half. I worked from home in those days as a conference coordinator and was on a phone call one day with a keynote speaker...Big Deal Phone Call. I had carefully waited till the kids were in school, crated the collies so they would be quiet, and did my best to sound professional. I had the phone cord stretched across the room because I was looking up something in the file cabinet. I heard a noise and turned around to see Lisa sitting up on his hind legs reaching for that cord! I put my hand over the phone and whispered "NO LISA!" but alas rabbits are not especially responsive. The line went dead.
We live half an hour from town so I jumped in the car, raced to Radio Shack, bought a new cord, came home, hooked it up and called the fellow back. I think I made some excuse about a storm and living in the country.
Lisa was the last rabbit who ran around loose in the house. I had to have him neutered for humping my leg (we had a country vet who could not understand why I wanted to spend $50 on neutering a rabbit. "Why don't you just eat this one and get a female?")
During the Lisa years I found a little chihuahua-sized dog by the road. I tried hard to find her owner but no luck. We named her Gremlin and she stayed. Unfortunately she liked to chase Lisa. I kept them separated but didn't worry too much about it because Lisa could beat up the little dog easily.
Once I got home to discover a note from my neighbor Marsha. Lisa had gotten out of the yard and Marcia's dog had gone after him. Marsha screamed at the dog, who dropped the bunny, but Lisa was limp and hit the ground like a load of laundry. Marsha scooped him up and threw him in the car. By the time she got to the vet, he was hopping around the back of the car, so she just turned around and came home Apparently he had fainted.
Eventually though, Gremlin won a fight and that was the end of Lisa It took me two years to 'fess up to Jo what had happened. Since Lisa was living mostly in the yard by then, she didn't notice he was missing for a few days. She didn't much like Gremlin anyway though and that was the final straw. Gremlin went to live with some friends from work, where she spent the next ten years becoming atrociously spoiled.
I believe Lisa was the last bunny. He was enough.
Sharyn
Pre-whippet, we had a big white rabbit named Lisa.
Lisa was a male, but that didn't bother Jo, who gave him his name. She was about nine, and she chose names she liked regardless of gender limitations. We also had a big yellow tomcat named Mandy. Lisa ran around in the backyard with the pony and the collies with no problems (the pony did step on one bunny with tragic results, but that was Spuds. I think Lisa would have broken the pony's leg if she had stepped on him.) I can't believe I can remember all these names. There must have been a hundred of them during the kid-years in South Carolina, if you include the possum, the raccoon, the squirrels, etc. I was a wildlife rehabilitator so we often had various critters living with us for a few months. My efforts to rehab injured and orphaned wildlife would have been doomed if I'd tried it once we got the first whippet. I remember a fledgling blue jay...but nevermind that. The jay was the last of the wildlife and he just underscored that I needed to be very, very careful with whippets and prey...um, wildlife.
Back to Lisa, though. He was (mostly) housetrained and oh did he love biting electrical cords in half. I worked from home in those days as a conference coordinator and was on a phone call one day with a keynote speaker...Big Deal Phone Call. I had carefully waited till the kids were in school, crated the collies so they would be quiet, and did my best to sound professional. I had the phone cord stretched across the room because I was looking up something in the file cabinet. I heard a noise and turned around to see Lisa sitting up on his hind legs reaching for that cord! I put my hand over the phone and whispered "NO LISA!" but alas rabbits are not especially responsive. The line went dead.
We live half an hour from town so I jumped in the car, raced to Radio Shack, bought a new cord, came home, hooked it up and called the fellow back. I think I made some excuse about a storm and living in the country.
Lisa was the last rabbit who ran around loose in the house. I had to have him neutered for humping my leg (we had a country vet who could not understand why I wanted to spend $50 on neutering a rabbit. "Why don't you just eat this one and get a female?")
During the Lisa years I found a little chihuahua-sized dog by the road. I tried hard to find her owner but no luck. We named her Gremlin and she stayed. Unfortunately she liked to chase Lisa. I kept them separated but didn't worry too much about it because Lisa could beat up the little dog easily.
Once I got home to discover a note from my neighbor Marsha. Lisa had gotten out of the yard and Marcia's dog had gone after him. Marsha screamed at the dog, who dropped the bunny, but Lisa was limp and hit the ground like a load of laundry. Marsha scooped him up and threw him in the car. By the time she got to the vet, he was hopping around the back of the car, so she just turned around and came home Apparently he had fainted.
Eventually though, Gremlin won a fight and that was the end of Lisa It took me two years to 'fess up to Jo what had happened. Since Lisa was living mostly in the yard by then, she didn't notice he was missing for a few days. She didn't much like Gremlin anyway though and that was the final straw. Gremlin went to live with some friends from work, where she spent the next ten years becoming atrociously spoiled.
I believe Lisa was the last bunny. He was enough.
Sharyn
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Photos from Skyline Kennel Club
A couple of photos of our 2010 pups showing at Skyline Kennel Club in May 2011.
Siren, "Timbreblue Drives Too Fast" (Blue & Chippy's daughter from Chippy's first litter, at home at Timbreblue in Virginia):
Geisha, "Timbreblue's Lil Lightning Strikes" (Blue & Juliet's daughter from Juliet's Blues Singers litter, owned by Maria & Martin Fuchs):
Siren, "Timbreblue Drives Too Fast" (Blue & Chippy's daughter from Chippy's first litter, at home at Timbreblue in Virginia):
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| Siren |
Geisha, "Timbreblue's Lil Lightning Strikes" (Blue & Juliet's daughter from Juliet's Blues Singers litter, owned by Maria & Martin Fuchs):
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| Geisha |
Friday, June 17, 2011
Chippy's puppies, ten days old
Hi guys, here are some more photos of Chippy's flower children at ten days old. We are hoping their eyes will open any day now! It can be anytime after 14 days, which is Saturday the 18th. We do have a puppy or two available from this litter, let us know if you're looking. They'll be ready to go home after August 13 when they are ten weeks old.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Chippy's Puppies!!
The girls are: Lilac, Buttercup, Daisy, Petunia, Tiger Lily, and Honesuckle. The boys are: Spruce, Birch, and Cypress.
Please enjoy the following photos with us. If you are interested in a puppy from this litter, please visit our website to learn more about us and our breeding program, and fill out our questionnaire.
Photos of all the puppies on day one.
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Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Henry's son Woodstock in Germany
Here is Henry's son "Woodstock" or "Sporting Fields Here I Am" who lives in Germany.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Poppy has found a home
Hi guys, a happy ending! Poppy, the whippet we posted a few days ago, has a home now. A happy ending!!
Monday, May 16, 2011
Lovely young whippet looking for a home
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| Poppy |
She doesn't get along with one of the older whippet girls in her household, which is why she is looking for a home. She probably would not do well with very small children. Please let me know if you are interested in Poppy! Her breeder would prefer that she stay somewhere near NC. Thank you!
Sunday, May 15, 2011
A Very Happy Birthday, part one
A year ago about this time, we were helping our sweet Chippy bring her first litter into the world. First to arrive was Photon (then named Sailor) and he was a big bruiser of a puppy at nearly a pound. Chippy had a lot of trouble delivering him, and after he was born, almost as an afterthought, came Kara. She was tiny compared to Photon -- just five or six ounces, if I recall. She was lifeless at first, but with a little rubbing and blowing ir into her mouth, she finally began crying and scrambling to get to her mama. Small as she was, she was a fighter, so we weren't too worried about her at first. She had a tiny heart on the back of her neck.
The next six puppies came along without incident, and what a rainbow Chippy and Daddy Blue had given us! A red brindle boy (Skiff), two black & seal girls (Siren nd Kara), two blue and white boys (Photon and Ensign, now Spencer), a blue brindle boy (Fathom, now Rocket), a fawn and white girl (Sparrow, now Shelby), and a lovely black and white girl, Tempest (now MooMoo). Then came the hours that every breeder dreads -- the minutes, then hours with no puppy arriving.
We began to realize we had a problem, The ninth puppy simply was not coming. We knew Chippy was carrying ten puppies (we'd done an xray the day before) and the "stuck" puppy was endangering itself, number ten, and mama, for that matter.
Of course it was after hours for our regular vet (isn't it always?) so we bundled up everyone and headed for the emergency vet in Lynchburg, about 45 minutes over the mountain. We put all the pups in an incubator at the clinic (the vet sort of shook her head over Kara) and settled in for a long, tense night in the waiting room. Several other emergencies came in: a Border collie with heat stroke, another c-section (a Cocker spaniel), and a puppy who had eaten a bar of chocolate.
It seemed hours, but I'm sure it was not. Finally we got the word that Chippy was fine, the ninth baby had definitely been stuck and we'd lost her, and the tenth, a little brindle and white girl (Bonnie, now Moka) was just fine. I had the usual breeder's guilt; Did I wait too long to bring her in? Was there more I could have done at home.
We brought everyone home, including our little lost girl, who was buried next to our beloved Babs (We warned the new pup not to get on Babs' bad side, as she did have a temper!)
The next few days were stressful. Chippy was a great mom, but try as we might, we could not get little Kara to nurse. Chippy took care of her, she crawled around and climbed on top of the other puppies, behaving like a normal, if a bit weak, newborn. We began to tube feed her after it became obvious she was not going to nurse. Every three or four hours we'd pass a tube down her throat and syringe a little formula directly into her stomach.
Thank goodness daughter Johannah had arrived! We traded off the nighttime feedings, with Walt taking a few as well, I warned Jo not to get attached to this one. I didn't really hold out a lot of hope for her unless she would begin to nurse. But she was such a fighter we had to give her a chance. The fact that she had not gotten any colostrum was a problem. I ordered fresh frozen plasma to give her.
On Day Three, we took the litter in for removal of dewclaws. Dr. Missy thought Kara was too weak to tolerate even the little snip it involves, so we left hers alone. She got some fluids and some puppy vitamins.
Kara went downhill for the next few days, and on bout vet visit number three, she was diagnosed with pneumonia. Our wonderful vets gave her some oxygen and prescribed a tank for me to pick up from their supplier and take home, We used the "blow by" method, and whenever she looked a little blue, we'd give her some oxygen. Jo actually made some videos of Kara's first few days and here's an oxygen treatment she loaded on Youtube...
The next six puppies came along without incident, and what a rainbow Chippy and Daddy Blue had given us! A red brindle boy (Skiff), two black & seal girls (Siren nd Kara), two blue and white boys (Photon and Ensign, now Spencer), a blue brindle boy (Fathom, now Rocket), a fawn and white girl (Sparrow, now Shelby), and a lovely black and white girl, Tempest (now MooMoo). Then came the hours that every breeder dreads -- the minutes, then hours with no puppy arriving.
We began to realize we had a problem, The ninth puppy simply was not coming. We knew Chippy was carrying ten puppies (we'd done an xray the day before) and the "stuck" puppy was endangering itself, number ten, and mama, for that matter.
Of course it was after hours for our regular vet (isn't it always?) so we bundled up everyone and headed for the emergency vet in Lynchburg, about 45 minutes over the mountain. We put all the pups in an incubator at the clinic (the vet sort of shook her head over Kara) and settled in for a long, tense night in the waiting room. Several other emergencies came in: a Border collie with heat stroke, another c-section (a Cocker spaniel), and a puppy who had eaten a bar of chocolate.
It seemed hours, but I'm sure it was not. Finally we got the word that Chippy was fine, the ninth baby had definitely been stuck and we'd lost her, and the tenth, a little brindle and white girl (Bonnie, now Moka) was just fine. I had the usual breeder's guilt; Did I wait too long to bring her in? Was there more I could have done at home.
We brought everyone home, including our little lost girl, who was buried next to our beloved Babs (We warned the new pup not to get on Babs' bad side, as she did have a temper!)
The next few days were stressful. Chippy was a great mom, but try as we might, we could not get little Kara to nurse. Chippy took care of her, she crawled around and climbed on top of the other puppies, behaving like a normal, if a bit weak, newborn. We began to tube feed her after it became obvious she was not going to nurse. Every three or four hours we'd pass a tube down her throat and syringe a little formula directly into her stomach.
Thank goodness daughter Johannah had arrived! We traded off the nighttime feedings, with Walt taking a few as well, I warned Jo not to get attached to this one. I didn't really hold out a lot of hope for her unless she would begin to nurse. But she was such a fighter we had to give her a chance. The fact that she had not gotten any colostrum was a problem. I ordered fresh frozen plasma to give her.
On Day Three, we took the litter in for removal of dewclaws. Dr. Missy thought Kara was too weak to tolerate even the little snip it involves, so we left hers alone. She got some fluids and some puppy vitamins.
Kara went downhill for the next few days, and on bout vet visit number three, she was diagnosed with pneumonia. Our wonderful vets gave her some oxygen and prescribed a tank for me to pick up from their supplier and take home, We used the "blow by" method, and whenever she looked a little blue, we'd give her some oxygen. Jo actually made some videos of Kara's first few days and here's an oxygen treatment she loaded on Youtube...
Monday, May 9, 2011
A couple of our boys
Karen Beard is a dear friend of ours in Lexington, Virginia, and she is truly doing amazing work running the local shelter. She goes above and beyond to send dogs home with different rescue groups and find the best homes for everyone that she can.
We are lucky enough that she chose to bring two of our little guys home -- Spencer, formerly Ensign of Chippy's Nautical litter, and Finn, formerly Kent of Rini's Halloween litter. Here's a photo she shared with us of the two boys playing with their new brother, 3 month old greyhound puppy Vyncent.
We are lucky enough that she chose to bring two of our little guys home -- Spencer, formerly Ensign of Chippy's Nautical litter, and Finn, formerly Kent of Rini's Halloween litter. Here's a photo she shared with us of the two boys playing with their new brother, 3 month old greyhound puppy Vyncent.
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| Spencer, Finn, and Vyncent |
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Lovely young adult male available in North Carolina
Our good friend Yvonne Sovereign near Raleigh has a beautiful fawn and white male, elegant with big dark eyes and a super temperament looking for a loving home. Robbie is two years old and isn't going to work out as a show dog but will make a wonderful companion.
He is sweet, loving, crate trained and completely housebroken. No bad habits and good eater. He is a great dog and she wants just the right home for him. Good with other dogs and children, don't know about cats. Contact Yvonne directly at 919-721-2384
or canineart@windstream.net
Anyone who is not familiar with Yvonne's work is missing a real treat. She is an artist with a special love for whippets...and that love shines through every painting and drawing she does. If you have not already, you should visit her art website at www.yvonnesovereign.com -- and I have to put in a little brag for our Timbreblue whippets who are featured there! The two whippets lying on the bed in front of the window (home page) are our boys Barnaby and Boo, owned by Danny S. and Jeanne & Alan A. respectively.
Sharyn
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Bad genes
Last week I attended a seminar called "The Purebred Paradox." Deciding to go was difficult, not because of the subject matter (genetic defects in purebred dogs) but because it was being hosted by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), a hardcore animal rights organization whose legislation I spend every winter fighting in Richmond.
But I'm legislative liaison for the Virginia Federation of Dog Clubs and Breeders (VFDCB) as well as being an AKC delegate for the Shenandoah Valley Kennel Club and I felt we needed to know what was said and done at this meeting. AKC did not participate, by choice, which was the right decision. But some of us needed to be there. The VFDCB paid registration fees for Alice Harrington (my co-legislative liaison) and me to go. I'm glad we went.
There are other places on the web where you can read more about the conference (Google Purebred Paradox and Pedigree Dogs Exposed) but I will say I came away from it awfully glad that whippets are my breed of choice (they are mostly healthy) and that Walt and I made the leap to outcrossing as opposed to linebreeding years ago.Linebreeding is the practice of breeding fairly close relatives to "set" the good genes. Trouble is, it often also "sets" the bad genes.
Many breeders are going to have a hard time with that recommendation, but it was made by every non-breeder scientist and veterinarian on the panel. We all learned at our mentors' knees that good breeders linebreed consistently and outcross only occasionally. Walt and I spent many hours studying and discussing this practice and about five years ago made the commitment to breed, as far as possible, to unrelated dogs. Of course, all whippets are related if you go far enough back, but we try not to have names repeated in five generations. We're not always successful, but we work at it and we do believe it's the right thing to do.
Another suggestion from the conference was not to use "popular sires," which are the top-winning dogs that "everyone" is breeding to. That's because if it is later determined that that dog is carrying a genetic disease, there will be nowhere to go to breed away from it if he is in all the pedigrees. That has already happened in whippets, with the mitral valve disease problem. Though I would be hesitant to blame one dog, it's true that nearly every dog with MVD traces his lineage back to the same bloodline.
We were also warned against breeding for extremes when they affect health and soundness (the flat faces of the bulldog and Pekes, the sloping topline of the German shepherd dog, the heavily wrinkled faces of the Shar-pei and bloodhound). And there are many breeds that routinely die of cancer at a young age.
The AKC Canine Health Foundation and the parent clubs are working on these problems, or at least the health-related ones. I don't know whether there is a discussion to stop the German shepherd from moving like a Tennessee Walking Horse, but I hope there is.
The Whippet Health Foundation is conducting a years-long study of mitral valve disease in whippets. Whenever you feel inclined to give, consider donating to them.
Lots to think about!
Sharyn
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| Baby Jenny (Miranda) in 2008 |
There are other places on the web where you can read more about the conference (Google Purebred Paradox and Pedigree Dogs Exposed) but I will say I came away from it awfully glad that whippets are my breed of choice (they are mostly healthy) and that Walt and I made the leap to outcrossing as opposed to linebreeding years ago.Linebreeding is the practice of breeding fairly close relatives to "set" the good genes. Trouble is, it often also "sets" the bad genes.
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| Abita (Rosalind) in 2008 |
Another suggestion from the conference was not to use "popular sires," which are the top-winning dogs that "everyone" is breeding to. That's because if it is later determined that that dog is carrying a genetic disease, there will be nowhere to go to breed away from it if he is in all the pedigrees. That has already happened in whippets, with the mitral valve disease problem. Though I would be hesitant to blame one dog, it's true that nearly every dog with MVD traces his lineage back to the same bloodline.
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| Bacchus (Falstaff) in 2008 |
The AKC Canine Health Foundation and the parent clubs are working on these problems, or at least the health-related ones. I don't know whether there is a discussion to stop the German shepherd from moving like a Tennessee Walking Horse, but I hope there is.
The Whippet Health Foundation is conducting a years-long study of mitral valve disease in whippets. Whenever you feel inclined to give, consider donating to them.
Lots to think about!
Sharyn
Run, puppy, run!
One of Party's puppies is now named "Bones" and lives near DC with a doctor who is also a triathlete (down girls, he's taken). Charlie has been working with Bones to build up his stamina gradually since he is still growing. The following is a photo Charlie shared with us of himself and Bones resting after a run, taken by the aforementioned lucky girlfriend.
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| Charlie and Bones |
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
One year old female available
If you're interested in Poppy, please fill out our questionnaire and make sure you mention Poppy in the notes section. Just look at that face! Absolutely adorable.
Monday, May 2, 2011
Musings on nicknames
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| Rini |
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| Siren |
What is it that makes us give dogs nicknames in addition to their call names? Walt calls most of our dogs by their real names, but I tend to use:
Ivy --- Ivy-Divy or Ivers or Ives
Blue -- Blue-boo
Party -- Party Girl
Juliet -- Ju-ju bean
Chippy -- Chipster
Devon -- Devvie
Dallas -- D-Dog or Big D
Kara -- Karoo
Katie -- Katydid
I don't really understand it since most of the nicknames are actually longer than the call names. Isn't it just as easy to say Dallas as Big D?
When my daughter was born, we (for some reason) decided we wanted her called Johannah instead of any of the usual nicknames. I carefully wrote out "Johannah" on everything that went to daycare with her, But since we didn't give them a nickname to call her, she became Jo-Jo, which I thought sounded a bit monkeyish. So we started calling her Joey to combat that. Of course once she started school, she decided that was a boy's name and informed her teachers she wanted to be called Margaret, which was her first name. We still called her Joey at home. She settled on Jo eventually but her family was slower to catch on,.
One day when they were in high school, my son Travis (Trav or T) answered the phone. "You have the wrong number." When he hung up, he said, "Some guy wanted Joe." Johannah happened to be in the room and wailed, "Nooooo! He asked for Jo!" Fortunately for her, the boy did call back and thus began her longest high school romance. She is now Johannah or Jo.
I'd better get back to the girls -- the Chipmeister and Ivy-Divy-Dabber-Do need pedicures.
Sharyn
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| Rainey |
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